3:08 PM
A knock on the door alerted the young insurance man and he responded with a grunt. He was too bust studying the graphs on his computer screen to formulate a clear indication that whoever was knocking could come in.
"Lebrowski? You've got a call on line one," said the receptionist of the floor John Lebrowski worked on. John sighed, tapping his fingers on his desk and not meeting the woman's eyes. Was her name Laura? Lisa? He couldn't remember.
"I know," he managed to say before reabsorbing himself in the digital world he lived in to make money.
"Well then, why haven't you answered it?" Laura, or Lisa, asked.
"Busy," John grunted again, now scratching his head as he gazed at the data in front of him, trying to make sense of it all.
"But, Lebrowski, I really do think-"
At this, John lost his temper. "You think what? This company does not pay you to think! Damn you, woman, to interrupt me in my important work for a phone call. I'll answer it whenever I damn well please. But since you've already managed to break my focus, you may as well tell me who's so important that's on line one!"
He finally looked up and saw a frightened young woman cowering at his door. He felt a smidgen of compassion in that moment mixed with regret since he hadn't meant to frighten her, only make her stop bothering him.
"It's… an agent from the FBI," the receptionist mumbled before scurrying out of sight.
Lebrowski rubbed his temples to distress before resigning himself to pick up his telephone. "Lebrowski speaking."
"Ah, Mr. John Lebrowski, I'm glad you finally decided that the FBI was worth your time," the man on the other end of the phone said in a low but pleasant voice.
John balked at this, unsure of what to make of the agent's comment. "Well, I… I am a very busy man, mister…" he trailed off, waiting for the man to fill in his name.
"That will be Special Agent Tyler Foreman," the man supplied. "And I can understand how an insurance man may consider his work to be important, especially since you're supporting a wife and three children and… is it two dogs?"
John was again thrown for a loop, this time into speechlessness. How did this man know about his family? He supposed it must be normal for an FBI agent to know about people, but did this agent have to scare the living hell out of him using that information?
"Never mind, that really isn't why I've called. You see, I will be requiring your presence tomorrow morning at my office, 8 AM sharp," Tyler continued on without a reply from John.
"Wh-what? But I… have a meeting about a very important matter," John stuttered. It was true- he'd discovered an inconsistency in some of the numbers in the past couple of months and he was supposed to present his findings in a meeting with some of the higher-ups in his company.
"Yes, yes, of course. But they shan't be needing you. You see, you will be attending a meeting at my office about the very same subject matter," Tyler informed him. John glanced back at his computer screen; his findings had been fairly minor, nothing the FBI should be concerned about. It wasn't a matter of national security.
"Sir… I'm afraid that I really must be at this meeting," John said tentatively.
"Do not test me, John. This little fraud that you've discovered is much bigger than you or even your entire company," Tyler said, his voice dropping but still maintaining most of the friendly tone he'd started with.
John swallowed and agreed to be picked up by a car Tyler Foreman would send for him.
7:58 AM
When John arrived, he hadn't thought he'd arrived anywhere at all. It looked like a crack house. But before he could object, the silent driver who had picked him up at his house led him inside and John realized it was a normal conference room inside with a long table occupied by half a dozen people dressed in suits.
"So glad you could join us, Mr. Lebrowski," greeted the large black man with gray hair at the head of the table. John knew his voice- that was Tyler alright.
John didn't have a reply, so he simply sat in a chair and waited for the meeting to resume.
"Right then. As all of you know, Mr. Lebrowski works for an insurance company and has found some inconsistencies in the company's earnings when compared to the expenses that do not match the plans for the budget or the company's records. He has concluded, rightly so, that there has been a case of insurance fraud," Tyler told the group.
"Now, most of you know that Mr. Brennon here," he gestured to a pale man with round glasses. "Has a similar problem he's discovered with credit card scams at his company. The other three of you besides myself and the two I've just mentioned are part of my team. Now that we all know who each other is, it's on to why we're here."
The five who didn't know the whole story watched Tyler with interest as he pressed on a little remote in his hand. The remote brought down a projector screen and he pressed again to start a presentation. On the first slide were two graphs- one John recognized because he'd been pouring over it for the past week. The other one he assumed was Mr. Brennon's from the credit card company.
"Mr. Lebrowski and Mr. Brennon… I'd like for you to, as soon as you are able, erase these graphs from your computers as well as any details you've saved elsewhere on your computers at work or home. These investigations are to be shut. Immediately."
John was about to object with fire when Mr. Brennon beat him to it. "Nonsense! These discrepancies are costing my company tens of thousands each year! And this is only one- there may be more like it!"
Tyler held out his hand in a calming gesture. "This is not up for discussion. The FBI will reimburse your companies for these discrepancies, do not fear. But you are to erase the files and, should you find anymore events like this, you will report them directly to me instead of your boss."
John cracked his knuckles and ground his teeth with anger. Who was this FBI agent to tell him how to do his job? He'd gone through four years of college and then worked his way through menial jobs to get a nice job that would support his family comfortably. He already had a boss and he didn't need another in Tyler Foreman.
"There is a reason for all of this, rest assured," he clicked again on his littler remote, this time bringing up a picture of two men- one with shorter hair and chiseled features and a cocky smile, the other with longer hair that flopped and a boyish grin.
"Who the hell are they?" John asked.
"They are the reason for this meeting. They are the FBI's newest and greatest prospects in the protection of this country. And they are who have been scamming your companies," Tyler responded.
A woman at the table piped up at this point, "We have been following the trails left behind by these two for quite a while now, at first seeing them as simple criminals, but now we've changed our ideas. We have plenty enough evidence to convict them at this point and more than enough means to find and arrest them, but we've chosen instead to let them continue doing as they are."
John and Mr. Brennon both started objecting simultaneously. Tyler spoke up again. "Shut up! If you would allow us to continue… these two men are keeping our country safe from things even your nightmares can not conjure. They are saving people left and right from phenomenon condemned as simply folklore and legend. They are risking their lives to save others, and they are the only people we currently know of who have the knowledge and means to do so."
"If that's true, why don't you just wipe their records but bring them in as confidential informants?" Mr. Brennon asked. John nodded- it seemed like a good idea.
Tyler gave a wicked grin. "These boys don't play nicely with others. They are much too stubborn to work with the government. So, we're excusing them secretly, letting them think that they are simply getting away with their illegal ways of getting money and insurance." He paused before continuing. "Now, since the FBI has decided to let this continue, we need inside men. Mr. Brennon, Mr. Lebrowski, this is where you come in. I'd like for you two to join my team by informing the FBI of any of these two boys' activities."
There wasn't a word.
Tyler gestured to the two photos still on the screen. "Boys and girls, meet the Winchester brothers."